AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Ambergris Caye An International Man Of Mystery On San Pedro

You're smartass that sits on your computer all day making snide comments about anything and everyone. My guess is that you don't run a business and wanks off to every comment you post on the message board. Correct me if I'm wrong and I'll buy you a beer.

If your talking to me then you'd better buy me atleast a couple of beers

Oh hell no. You're buying first round and then I'll decide.

LOL Your more than welcome and decisions go both ways

Simon what's the matter with you?

As for me, it wasn't my intent to cast aspersions, I was sincerely interested on whether or not an individual in such a circumstance gets their money back. As you've gone overboard to express, apparently the answer is no.

As for what would happen in US and Canada should I ever (as if) . . . I'd already figured that out.

As for this particularly fellow, he gets what he deserves. How naive does one have to be. Yes, get a credit card, carry travellers cheques, use your atm card, and if he's that fricken rich why can't he arrange to have money wired to him.

Italian Man Of Mystery Is A Fugitive

Last night, we told you about, Italian Antonio Velardo who docked up in San Pedro aboard a catamaran with twenty two thousand US dollars in un-declared US currency. He was charged and paid a five thousand dollar fine - and we thought that was the end of it, but tonight he's still detained in San Pedro, on the strength of an Interpol warrant. After he paid his court fine, the Immigration Department gave him what's known as an "RLL" - refused leave to land - which they can give to any undesirable person at any point of entry. That's because authorities have information that he is an international fugitive. So he was detained again, and is being questioned at this hour. His attorney Godfrey Smith told us there's not much that can be done for Velardo at this time, but he has asked Authorities to produce documentation to support the claim that he is wanted by Interpol. As we understand, the Financial Intelligence Unit is leading the investigation which suggests that Velardo may be wanted in connection with some financial inquiry.

As we told you last night, an internet write-up lists him as profitable player in international real estate along with his partner Harry Fitzsimmons in their company, VFI. He boasted in an interview four years ago that that they developed a turnover of 100 million Euros in less than eight months.

Internet information says Fitzsimmons is wanted in Ireland for a money launder scheme called the Calabrian Scam. A report in the Daily Telegraph says that "Fitzsimons was a "middle-man" for the IRA responsible for laundering its money through a holiday home investment scheme on the Calabrian coast."

Channel 7

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Italian realtor wanted by Interpol

Tonight, Antonio Velardo, a wealthy Italian visitor is being questioned by San Pedro Police. Velardo was fined on Thursday for not declaring twenty point five thousand U.S. dollars found in his yacht, the Aventura. But Velardo was freed only briefly because he is back in police custody and is being questioned for another matter. The report is that he may be an international fugitive wanted by Interpol. Also on the Aventura was forty-seven year old Levente Arangos, a Swedish national. The men had arrived on Tuesday night and docked at a local docking facility on Ambergris Caye where a search of the vessel led to the discovery of the substantive amount of cash.

Channel 5

Could be a case of not having done due diligence. If he is wanted for illegal activities related to development schemes, he would have found out the country has already been picked over by shady developers and scam artists. Now on the other hand, if he is a legitimate person sailing the Caribbean on his boat and researched Belize, he would have known that based on the corruption and crime, it would not be wise to let officials know you had considerable cash on your boat.

"How naive does one have to be. Yes, get a credit card, carry travellers cheques, use your atm card, and if he's that fricken rich why can't he arrange to have money wired to him."

Obviously others are naive. Anyone familiar with boats,knows they often are in need of repair, sometimes costly repairs, especially a boat that is capabable of traveling remote parts of the world. Those repairs don't always occur where there is a bank, atm or places that accept credit cards or travelers checks. Last time I was at Glovers atoll, I searched the whole area and could not find one place to have money wired to.

Money is dirty and messy but to me it makes sense.
Governments create currency - the concept, the backing and print or stamp the stuff.
Then they pass a laws making it very difficult to use this same currency?

Byron makes valid points. And it's not just boat-repair - try addressing a medical problem in a foreign land, presenting a credit card. Try hiring a plane for a medical evacuation in an emergency - with plastic perhaps in a place with limited electricity or phone links. (for instance - when we had the BTL strike - for 3 weeks - nobody could use a credit card -- )
Cashing a Traveler's Checque is not too difficult at a bank, but local vendors don't know a real from a fake one and often don't care to take a chance on them.
Sometimes credit cards don't clear as planned, and bank machines refuse to spit money. The charges for foreign currency exchange can be daunting if you use a bank machine.

What happens to the people who save in cash (not everybody is a plastic-fan)- how do they prove that they actually did put a few hundred a month in a sock over a long time? Given the history of banks, the lack of interest paid and the complexity of credit card programs (as well as dependency on computers-electricity etc) ..... is it so difficult to imagine a person who (for better or worse) chooses a cash-home-savings site? But gee - I can't go on a trip with my money because I have to produce - WHAT?? Photos of me putting money in my socks?

Let's ask somebody to run an experiment - put $11,000 in 100's in your money-belt, declare at US customs and explain "I got it by saving and I am taking it because I want to buy stuff and stay in fancy hotels".
Let us know what happens.

US Customs require you declare more than US$10,000-whether it be cash, checks or other monetary instruments. To monitor for IRS, money laundering, terrorism. Its on US customs forms. Belize requires declaration of more than BZ$10,000 and its also on the customs forms. Can't miss it along with mention of fines or criminal charges for non compliance.

So really all you should have to do is declare the cash and have a reason that will eventually be found acceptable and ta da, you have entered legally?

I can't recall, is it that you have to declare that you have more or is it that you aren't supposed to have more and ergo your problems will only worse if you lie about it (and get caught of course)?

And yes bywarren I'm aware of the travellers check issues with vendors. My thinking was that every time the money got low in his sock, he could go to a bank to top up and so be ready when he ran across a vendor that wouldn't take his travellers check or couldn't take his credit card.

Sorry you had boat and/or health problems the other day but obviously the money in your sock took care of you since here you are posting.